


And we shall be shepherds

by themerrymutants



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 19:06:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6389473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themerrymutants/pseuds/themerrymutants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With one Hatching left before he ages out of candidacy Charles is, understandably, left biting his nails. That is until a rather strange, clearly distressed, hatchling appears on the sands.</p><p>Formatting note: Bold and italicized text stand for dragon's speaking aloud whether to a crowd or to someone that isn't their bonded, simply italicized text for dragons speaking privately with their bonded, bolded and underlined text for whers speaking aloud, and underlined for whers speaking privately with their bonded.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And we shall be shepherds

Charles had marveled at the smallest clutch he'd ever seen during the Touching: there were only five eggs. He didn't think it was possible for a Gold to have such a small clutch but there it was. He wasn't going to say anything though, this was his last chance to Impress before he aged out and he was stuck at Benden forever. There was one egg in particular that he had grown fond of, it was a dusty violet with a small swirl pattern on it. The others hadn't commented on it either way but he'd felt _hope_ when he touched it almost like the hatchling within was telling him not to give up yet, that there was still a chance for him...and somehow it worked.  
  
He was sleeping when the clarion call went out: _**Rise candidates! Tonight my eggs hatch, do not be late!**_  
  
He was up and ready in less than 5 minutes following the throng of candidates onto the sands. He bowed low to the Gold and filed in with the rest looking for his sister.  
  
**_We're here Charles,_** Ireneth assured him sensing his nervousness. **_Good luck and know we're here for you either way._**  
  
"Thank you," he called, both to his sister and her white.  
  
A pale blue egg was the first to hatch, a white, that made a beeline for someone in the stands. Wow...the first Impression and it was a stands. This hatching was proving to be interesting already. Next was a rose pink egg which hatched into a rather large brown. He picked Lana, a friend of Charles' who was also at her last hatching. Charles grinned genuinely happy for his friend. Then his dusty violet began to crack. This was his last chance. His final hatching.  
  
What tumbled out was...purple...or rather violet like the egg it had hatched from. What on earth? Was the dragonet healthy? Was it ok? He watched with concern as the little one tripped its way over to the candidates. It let out a cry and, without even thinking, he bolted over to the poor thing. The crowd gasped in fear. Were candidates allowed to do that? Shouldn't he have left it to find its way or _between_? Rav'n and Ireneth were the most concerned out of the crowd getting up from their spots ready to rush to her idiot sibling's defense.  
  
It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop as everyone waited with baited breath to see what the fate of the pair would be.  
  
"Shhh it's alright," he soothed as he tried to pick the little one up. There was a sudden, for lack of a better phrase, explosion in his mind as the dragonet's eyes whirled with the rainbow colors of Impression.  
  
_Ch'rles I am your Cerebrath, I thank you for your kindness and patience,_ Cerebrath whispered nuzzling his chest. _I hope I do not disappoint._  
  
"Not at all..." he murmured in reply still trying to process what had happened. One of the candidate masters waved him over eyeing Cerebrath with what could only be described as a mixture of surprise and disgust. Another mutation at Benden even more strange than the whites that had started to crop up.  
  
Ch'rles glared at the man balling his fists. He wasn't the type to fight, plus there was the risk of Cerebrath going _between_ thanks to his emotions, but how _dare_ they look at her that way. She was perfect in his eyes anyone else who couldn't see that clearly had wherries for brains.  _Calm yourself please. This is not the way. Together, though, we shall shepherd them you and I: show them another way._  
  
He calmed himself at her request. She was right. There was always another way.


End file.
